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3 Stars of the Week: Oct. 12-18, 2015

by
Emerald Gao
/ Chicago Blackhawks

Each Monday, the Blackhawks Blog will highlight prospects who stood out for their minor-league, junior, college, or European teams in the previous week’s action. All prospect stats will be updated weekly throughout the 2015-16 season.

Olofsson had a breakout game last Friday, posting a pair of goals and a pair of assists in Nebraska-Omaha’s 4-3 win over Vermont. The 2014 fourth-round pick tallied the Mavericks’ first two goals of the contest, then assisted on the last two. Olofsson’s five points in four games share first among college freshmen, as he continues to impress in his debut NCAA season.

Calnan collected a pair of helpers, including one on the game-winner, to help Boston College trounce Wisconsin 6-0 on Friday in the team’s lone game of the week. The junior alternate captain now has three points (1G, 2A) in four games, sharing third on the Eagles. Calnan finished the previous season with 11 goals—third on the team—and 18 points.

North Dakota tied and won at Bemidji State over the weekend, and Johnson played a part in both, scoring his first goal of the season in Friday’s 4-4 tie before assisting on the game-winner in a 5-2 victory the next night. Through four games this season, the junior center ranks second on the team with 37 faceoffs wins.

Snuggerud picked up an assist in each of UNO’s games over the weekend, helping the Mavs sweep the Catamounts; his assist in Saturday’s 3-1 win came while shorthanded. The 2014 fifth-round pick has three assists in his first four games of the season.

Chicago’s first-round pick in 2014 logged two helpers in North Dakota’s 5-2 win over Bemidji State on Saturday. Schmaltz now has three assists in his first four games, and he leads the team with 86 faceoffs taken as well as 44 wins at the dot.

Around the system:

Defenseman Gustav Forsling assisted on Linkoping’s opening goal in a 4-2 win over Karlskrona last Thursday. The 19-year-old shares the team lead with seven assists and is tied for third with eight points in 10 games so far this season... Blueliner Robin Norell also notched an assist in two games for Djurgarden last week, picking up his second point of the season in a 4-3 overtime loss to HV71 on Saturday.

Radovan Bondra tallied once in two appearances for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants last week, netting the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Tri-City on Friday. The 2015 fifth-round pick shares third among league rookies with four goals and shares fourth with eight points.

Defenseman Dennis Gilbert posted his first point in the NCAA last Friday, assisting on the opening goal as Notre Dame defeated Penn State 7-4. The 2015 third-round pick finished 2014-15 with 27 points (4G, 23A) for the USHL’s Chicago Steel... Matt Iacopelli found the back of the net with his first collegiate goal and point last Tuesday as Western Michigan defeated Bowling Green 4-1... Junior center Tyler Motte netted his first goal of the season, tallying the game-winner as Michigan beat Mercyhurst 6-4 on Friday... Goaltender Matt Tomkins started both games for Ohio State last weekend, stopping a combined 59 of 65 shots. Through three appearances, the 2012 seventh-round selection has a .921 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average.

Rockford dropped both games of their weekend set against Texas, but the line of Tanner Kero (1G), Jeremy Morin (1G) and Marko Dano (1A) continued rolling offensively. The trio has combined for five goals and 10 points in their first four games together... Mark McNeill opened his account for 2015-16 with a tally in the IceHogs’ 5-2 loss to the Stars on Saturday... Winger Ryan Haggerty netted his first goal for Rockford on Sunday.